Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-08-12
WHERE WOSEN RULE.
a Town Which succumbs TO Female IInu-
ence and IS Well Governed.

Memphis Appeal.
| have lust returned from g trip on the
Santa Fe Road, west. Syracuse, sixteen
miles from the Colorado line, was the
Mecca of my pilgrimage, because, here,
April I, they elected City Council Of
women, and was bent upon seeing the
town that had made this innovation, and
the women who were filing the council
chairs. l wanted to ask the people how
it came about and how it was working.
The first Of these ladies introduced to
me was Mrs. Z. 5. Barbour, a fair faced,
gentle hammered woman with an unmis-
taxable air of business about her.
found this accounted for by the fact that
she is business woman. Her husband
does large and complicated business;
the books IRE entirely in her charge.
Mrs. 81. D. KGott is business woman,
too. l expect much OF Mrs. Knott in the
management of their suffrage society be-
cause Of her experience in Iowa as
president of the Eighth District
Women Suffrage Society. Mrs. Cogges-
hail says they were very sorry to
lose Mrs. Knott from their ranks.
She is chairman of the Syracuse alder
manic force. Mrs. M. NJ. Riggles is 8
quiet little woman, a careful and con-
scientious mother and housewife. She
has way Of making up her mind for her
self and standing firmly by her convic-
lions She has a reputation among Syra-
Euse male citizens for being person Of
exGellent judgment. Mis-. S. n. Coe is q
woman of excellent ability, with enough
conVersatisM to keep her enthusiasm in
propersqheak. Ne one Of these women is
more anxious to 90 exactly right than is
Mrs. Coe. She is g sister to Mrs. Lemert,
president of the Saxon Equal Suffrage
Society, organized st Dodge City by Mrs
Saxon, and named for her. She has sew
eral such namesakes in Kansas.
! Mrs. L. NJ. Smartwood, the fifth mem
| Der, did not see, although l made al
effort to do so. She was confined to hel
home py sickness; but am told that she
! is woman of ability, and that she is by
20 means behind her sisters in any re
Quisite for her position. My short &C
! qusintance with the women convinced MT
that sitting in council chairs and wrest
ling with questions Of city polity have haC
no effect TO unseX them-Whatever tina
nay be-for these were as womanll
women as l have ever seen. l looked il
| VAIN lot masculine leuQenCleS. 1QST'
was not hint of it in dress or manner
Meeting them on the streets or in tn
cars, you would never guess that the,
were city offcisls. From cow, rsstiol
with them l learned that they wer'
exceedingly anxious tc make thei
administration just one-one tina
would advance the best interests OF tn
city; and when they spoke of advancin!
the interests of their city they betrayed
the fact that they had in mind the city,
moral as well as temporal prosperity. l
is said Of them that they are doing bette
work than the body of men who composed
the previous council. Their townspeopl
say they were elected because "somebcd.
proposed it and everybody was PLEASED
with the idea;" because sit WAS believed
that they would make excellent officers,
because "the Temperance people though
women wouldn't be afraid to enforce tn,
prohibltory laws" because owe wanted
10 advertise our town"-this last from
lDsA..s. Vi - ..-. -s.t..- g; 5eca g